Review of the Withings Body Scan 2 After Four Days of Use
I have been using the Body Scan 2 scale for four days now, and I want to share my short review. This is a 100% objective and realistic opinion. As a user of other competing scales, I believe my analysis is well-informed.
Hardware and Design
First of all, the hardware flaws from the first model have been resolved in this second generation. The mechanism for the retractable cord on the handle seems somewhat more reliable and of better quality; even so, I think it will cause problems in the future and remains a somewhat fragile component in my opinion. Although the feeling of fragility persists, the improvement compared to the first model is evident.
On the other hand, the inclusion of the screen on the handle seems like a great success. Now, the device shows if the user is positioned incorrectly and helps correct posture, which I consider a very positive feature. The system correctly detects whether the hands or feet are touching the body. However, out of approximately eight or nine measurements I have taken, one or two failed. Although the device is more reliable and delivers fewer measurement errors than the previous model, I believe it still needs a bit more polishing, though I suspect this is a software issue rather than a hardware one.
Regarding data accuracy, the body fat percentage is impressive. In my specific case, the Body Scan 2 registers 18.6%, while the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan I had yesterday marks 18.5%.
App Experience and Synchronization
The installation of the application and the Wi-Fi configuration were completed successfully without any issues on the first attempt. However, I consider it necessary to mention that the device takes far too long to synchronize data once the measurement is complete. The results take one full minute to appear in the application, which seems like an excessive amount of time that the company should fix. In addition, some of the measurements and indicators turn gray when tapped and take a minute to load, which appears to be a glitch within the application itself.
The organization of the menus to access these measurements seems like a very poorly executed idea. It is very difficult to find things, and I believe the marketing regarding the sixty-plus indicators is a total stretch, as I cannot count more than forty. Many of these indicators are irrelevant artificial intelligence features, such as the energy score, which the application simply pulls from Health Connect via my Galaxy Watch. In fact, the integrated artificial intelligence in the application is garbage: it knows nothing, does not answer my questions, and provides very little detail. In my experience, it is much better to take screenshots of the data and send them to Gemini.
Subscription and Body Composition Metrics
Regarding the Withings Plus subscription, I see absolutely no value in it, and it is completely useless. Furthermore, there is a software error when attempting to activate the new unified 3D body composition view, as it fails to activate and the slider to enable it does not work. Additionally, it would be great if, right after taking a measurement, all the values were displayed together in a single report, rather than having to search for them later inside the menus.
There is very little detail regarding body composition and total body water. The system does not show fluid distribution, nor does it provide sufficient breakdown. Furthermore, the company advertises six zones of segmental composition, but I can only see five zones in the interface. It does not show protein mass either, and there are very few data points or details regarding metabolism and body composition.
Conclusion and Price-to-Performance Ratio
In short, the scale offers very few indicators for its price tag. For the four hundred and ninety-nine euros that I paid for it, I do not think it is worth it. I believe a fair price for this product would be two hundred euros. If the company wishes to maintain the price of four hundred and ninety-nine euros, the device should include many more high-quality indicators instead of relying on application functions like the energy score. The fact that they count the weather and rain forecast as an indicator is outrageous to me.
The user interface of the application needs a major overhaul and deep polishing. As for the hardware of the scale, I have no complaints: it is lighter, feels well-built, and is highly cutting-edge. However, on the firmware side, it lacks stability. It provides too few indicators for its cost, and the information it shows is not particularly relevant.